+
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM UPWORTHY
We are a small, independent media company on a mission to share the best of humanity with the world.
If you think the work we do matters, pre-ordering a copy of our first book would make a huge difference in helping us succeed.
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy

art

Pop Culture

Artist uses AI to create ultra realistic portraits of celebrities who left us too soon

What would certain icons look like if nothing had happened to them?

Bored Panda

Mercury would be 76 today.

Some icons have truly left this world too early. It’s a tragedy when anyone doesn’t make it to see old age, but when it happens to a well-known public figure, it’s like a bit of their art and legacy dies with them. What might Freddie Mercury have created if he were granted the gift of long life? Bruce Lee? Princess Diana?

Their futures might be mere musings of our imagination, but thanks to a lot of creativity (and a little tech) we can now get a glimpse into what these celebrities might have looked like when they were older.

Alper Yesiltas , an Istanbul-based lawyer and photographer, created a photography series titled “ As If Nothing Happened, ” which features eerily realistic portraits of long gone celebrities in their golden years. To make the images as real looking as possible, Yesiltas incorporated various photo editing programs such as Adobe Lightroom and VSCO, as well as the AI photo-enhancing software Remini.


“The hardest part of the creative process for me is making the image feel ‘real’ to me,” Yesiltas wrote about his passion project. “The moment I like the most is when I think the image in front of me looks as if it was taken by a photographer.”

Yesiltas’ meticulousness paid off, because the results are uncanny.

Along with each photo, Yesiltas writes a bittersweet message “wishing” how things might have gone differently … as if nothing happened.

Freddie Mercury

“I wish he hadn't got that disease. ”

There are plenty of amazing Freddie Mercury tributes and impersonators out there, but there will only ever be ONE Freddie Mercury.

Heath Ledger

“I wish he hadn't been affected by the exhaustion of his role. ”

One of Ledger's most notable roles is queer cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's iconic 2005 romantic western drama "Brokeback Mountain. " In a time when queer storytelling was still taboo, Ledger's honest and compassionate portrayal broke down a lot of barriers for future stories.

Though Ledger officially died due to an overdose, many believe it was his role of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” that pushed him over the edge.

Janis Joplin

ai art

Joplin would be 79.

Bored Panda

“ I wish she hadn't sought the inspiration she needed elsewhere. ”

The powerful singer with electric stage presence is still one of the greatest female rock stars of all time. Scratch that—one of the greatest rock stars of all time, period.

Jimi Hendrix

jimi hendrix

Hendrix would be 80.

Bored Panda

“ I wish he hadn't sought the inspiration he needed elsewhere. ”

Like Joplin and Ledger, Hendrix died due to an overdose —though many have speculated that it was instead the result of foul play .

Michael Jackson

“ I wish he hadn't faced vitiligo. ”

However questionable his personal life was, the King of Pop made some of the biggest contributions to music of all time. People continue to sing his songs , and likely will for a very, very long time.

Kurt Cobain

nirvana

Cobain would be 55.

Bored Panda

“I wish he had decided to stay. ”

The insightful , poetic and troubled Cobain took his life at 27. His story is a cautionary tale that success does not necessarily help thwart struggles with mental health.

Bruce Lee

bruce lee

Lee would be 81.

Bored Panda

“ I wish he hadn't taken that painkiller that day. ”

The actor and martial-arts expert died at 32 , officially due to a harmful reaction to a painkiller. His philosophies around kung fu, however, are eternal.

John Lennon

“ I wish he hadn't been in New York that day. ”

Legendary artist and activist John Lennon was fatally wounded by a gunshot in December 1980. The last thing he talked about, revealed ex-wife Yoko Ono in an interview , was the desire to see his son before he went to sleep.

Elvis Presley

elvis movie

Presley would be 87.

Bored Panda

“ I wish he decided to live a life where he paid more attention to the health of his heart. ”

Had Presley not died of cardiac arrest, he would be 87 this year.

Tupac Shakur

“I wish he hadn't been involved in that event that would cause him to face the mafia. ”

The cause of Tupac’s untimely death is also one of debate and speculation. According to some, he never died at all. What we can all agree on—he was one of hip-hop's most iconic figures.

Princess Diana

This one seems to be a new addition to the collection, so no wistful message. Although I’m sure the general sentiment is “ I wish she were still here .”

AI-generated art is a controversial topic, to be sure. Some consider it a new, innovative medium. Others see it as devoid of any real creativity at all, as it’s produced by a machine, rather than a human. Many are concerned that, as is the case with many jobs that get machine automated, it will threaten the livelihood of actual illustrators.

Those concerns are certainly valid, but perhaps there’s a balance to be found here, as Yesiltas seems to have accomplished. Previously, another artist similarly created stunningly lifelike portraits of cartoon characters from “ Encanto ” and ”The Simpsons.” These works still required the human touch, and were carefully crafted over time rather than cracked out in mere seconds, as is the case with a lot of AI art.

At its best, AI art helps remind us, as Yesiltas puts it, that "anything imaginable can be shown in reality.” Which, at the end of the day, could be said for any art.


This article originally appeared on 9.23.22

From Your Site Articles
art
Identity

This artist brilliantly tackles the concept of 'being offended' in a colorful comic.

Maybe we need a new word for 'offended.'

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

Here’s a thought.

Self proclaimed feminist killjoy Rebecca Cohen is a cartoonist based in Berkeley, California.

Here’s what she has to say about her role as an artist taken from her Patreon page .

She says:

"In these trying times, the world needs a hero to resist the forces of tyranny.

That hero is definitely not me.


I just draw funny pictures and like to share my opinions. I'm Rebecca, also known as @gynostar."

Enjoy one of her comics below.

friends, discrimination, hurtful words

An all to common exchange.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

comics, jokes Rebecca Cohen

It’s only words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

power of words, conversation, hostile environments

Simple jokes contain implicit ideas.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

equality, community, inclusive

Discussing the impact of words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

This article originally appeared on 10.19.16



From Your Site Articles
Health

What do women do when no one is watching? These images sum it up nicely.

Realness is key in Sally Nixon's work.



What are women up to when no one is watching?


Artwork courtesy of Sally Nixon, used with permission.

Well, take a look at Sally Nixon's illustrations and you'll see.


The subjects in her artwork aren't aware we're looking at them.

And that's the point. They're living in a world free from the pressures that exist in the real one.

"I like drawing girls doing their everyday routine — just hanging out, not worried about what others are thinking, " Nixon told Upworthy. "They're usually alone or with other girls. Their guard is down."

Editor's note: An image below contains partial nudity.

Capturing her subjects in this liberated light wasn't intentional at first, she explained.

But when she started a 365-day challenge last April to create one art piece a day, the work started reflecting the nuances of her own life away from prying eyes — "I was kind of like, 'Oh, I'm brushing my teeth, so I'll draw that.'" — and a theme began to form.Her illustrations show how women look, away from the exhausting world where they're often judged more harshly than men.

You also might notice none of the girls in her illustrations are smiling.

According to Nixon, that's a deliberate choice.

"I don't sit around smiling to myself," Nixon said, noting the double standard that exists in thinking women should always appear cheerful.

"I've been told, 'You need to smile more.' It's so infuriating. I wanted to show the way girls actually look, comfortably."

The theme of friendship is also an important one in Nixon's drawings.

“I have four older sisters, so female friendship has always been a big part of my life, " Nixon told The Huffington Post . “You gotta have someone to talk about periods with, and dudes just don't get it."

Creating relatable scenes was key to Nixon, too — from the details of women's lives to the physical shapes of their bodies.

“It's important that the women I draw aren't rail thin with huge boobs," Nixon said . “I think there are enough images of bodies like that out in the world. The ladies I draw typically have small-ish, droopy breasts and thick thighs. They're kind of lumpy but in an attractive way. Just like real people."

The women in Nixon's work aren't real, but she hopes their stories are.

"One of my absolute favorite comments [on my work] is, ' Oh my God, it's me !' " she explained of the depictions.

"There's a little bit of beauty in [everyday life] and I wanted to bring that out."

You can view more of Nixon's artwork on her website and check out her prints for purchase on Etsy .


This article originally appeared on 04.15.16









From Your Site Articles
Pop Culture

How 'Bridgerton' created an iconic wig that actually moves for one of its key characters

It's a work of art that even non-"Bridgerton" fans can appreciate.

@emmarigby_pro/ Instagram

"This will go down in the history of costume design."

When it comes to period pieces, the look is crucial. It requires skilled craftspeople with both meticulous attention to detail and enough creative vision to bring characters to life in a way that’s captivating and believable all at the same time. One hair out of place, one wonky blouse…and suddenly the entire story feels cheapened .

Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton” is a brilliant example of this. The creators behind the hair, makeup and costumes have pulled off one ambitious look after another—all of which nail the story’s unique blend of lavish period romance with innovative modern sensibilities. Honestly, even if period pieces aren’t your thing, you gotta marvel at what they’ve accomplished aesthetically.

One particularly talked about costume piece came from the show’s latest season: Queen Charlotte (played by Golda Resheuvel)’s jaw-dropping swan wig , which is a bona fide masterpiece that has actual moving glass swans.

If you have seen it—do not fret, dear reader. The official “Bridgerton” Instagram page posted a video starring the signature piece. Check it out below:

What kind of witchcraft is this?!… you might be thinking to yourself. But while this wig is certainly magical, it’s actually the result of smart engineering.

Emma Rigby, the magician behind Queen Charlotte’s wig, gave a little behind-the-scenes look at how it all came to be.

In a video posted to her own Instagram page , Rigby said that she initially felt “panicked” when “Bridgerton”’s hair and makeup designer Erika Okvist shared her concept. Making something that was both mechanically complex and light enough for the actor to be comfortable would be no easy feat.

But in the clip we see how with some hidden wires, a 3D printed carousel, and a hollow cage-like mold to hold everything in place, it’s actually not so impossible.

Watch, and be amazed:

Isn’t that the coolest thing ever? People were so impressed down in the comments.

“This will go down in the history of costume design. Very well done, ingenious actually,” one person wrote.

Another added, “This costume was glorious...if you guys don't get an Emmy nomination it will be a crime 🙌”

“I was left speechless by this one,” said a third.

Of course, this is just one of the many, many extravagant wigs that have graced the show. Check out the video below to see the whole scope of what these folks create, and how they create it. It’s a fun watch whether you’re a diehard "Bridgerton" fan or have never seen a single episode.

From Your Site Articles
art
Trending Stories